I was chatting the other day with a colleague from my surveying days, Bob Beilfuss, a surveyor from Germantown, Wisconsin. Since I’m now working for Berntsen, Bob shared some of his favorite stories about the Berntsen products he uses. It was an interesting and informative chat, so I asked him to share his stories with you.

More than anyone, surveyors understand the importance of location. We master many types of tools to generate the specific data required for boundary lines, construction grids, laying out developments, creating 3D models of buildings and topography and more.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was not only a surveyor, but he was actually instrumental in the design of the United States itself? The story of Jefferson’s career is the story of nation-building, with surveying as its foundation.

Earlier this week we commemorated National 811 Day. On August 11 we were reminded to call 811 (or visit call811.com) before digging – in our yards or at a construction site. This simple reminder has saved lives and repair costs by preventing accidental damage to power lines, gas lines and other buried utilities during excavation.

Inaccurate FEMA flood maps affect many property owners – even if the property isn’t located near an ocean, lake or river.

If property is located in the area FEMA has designated as floodplain, higher rates for insurance and difficulty selling the property is a common result.

Additionally, owners run a higher risk of experiencing a flood event. Flood maps are issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These maps are used as the basis for property insurance rates, permitting for construction, and are part of the documentation mortgage lenders require.

At the Custer State Park in South Dakota, kids can take the “Trail Challenge” that rewards them for hiking eight of the many trails in the park over the course of the summer. To prove they’ve walked the trail, they take a rubbing of the unique Berntsen medallion placed along the each trail. Once they have all eight rubbings, the kids turn them in and receive a Custer State Park Trail Challenge Pin. This is a significant achievement, because the eight trails include some rugged terrain.

I’m proud to be a surveyor. Surveying is the foundation of my career and has taught me a lot about the world. It has improved my ability to think analytically, helped me understand underlying principles, and shown me how to use data to solve problems help people find common ground (pun intended).

Today, as Berntsen’s business development manager, I’m relying on those skills to help Berntsen better serve surveyors. Long before I joined the Berntsen team, I was a Berntsen customer – I could count on their products (and support) to be top-notch.

Of all presidents, Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most revered. Most people know that he grew up in a one-room log cabin and taught himself the law by the light of a kerosene lamp.

Surveyors know him as one of their own.

The history of Grand Canyon mapping and surveying is almost as convoluted as the canyon itself. The task requires vision, a special set of skills, determination, money, endurance and luck - nevertheless, many explorers and surveyors have accepted the challenge and produced some of the most beautiful maps ever created.

While COVID-19 measures have closed many businesses, workers building and maintaining our infrastructure have been busier than ever dealing with the new demands created by a massive workforce shift from offices to homes. Many of us working at home have been given the opportunity to consider these services from a different perspective.

As construction continues to become a bigger part of the business, surveyors are not only using new technology, they are becoming acquainted with new technologies used by their customers. For example, many construction and engineering firms contract with municipalities that use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map and track infrastructure assets. Asset location is represented on a digital map, which is very useful for centralized planning and administration of resources.

George Washington’s physical strength and endurance are well documented in biographies of his time as a soldier. His vigorous physicality made the art of surveying a natural fit as an occupation.

Though he was not formally educated in schools, he was taught the basics of surveying and land measuring as a home-schooled youth. He began surveying by measuring land at Mount Vernon, and when he was only 16, he was invited to join a survey party to lay out lots in western Virginia.

Among surveyors, Mount Rushmore is referred to as Three Surveyors and That Other Guy.

Did you know that it could be argued that all of the presidents on Mount Rushmore were surveyors? Three of the presidents are acknowledged surveyors: Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson (more to come about these surveyors in future blogs). But what about that other guy, Theodore Roosevelt?

While he never earned the title of surveyor or developed surveying expertise, Roosevelt was instrumental in mapping a thousand mile-long uncharted river in Brazil.

Like surveyors, Berntsen cares about quality, accuracy and a job well done. We provide the quality products that help surveyors leave their mark, and we are thrilled to celebrate the stories they share with us. The book “Lasting Impressions – A Glimpse into the Legacy of Surveying” authored by our CEO, Rhonda Rushing, looks at the importance of surveying and the monuments that have a personal and lasting impact on people’s lives.

If you enter any building, by the time you hop on the elevator, you’ve probably seen multiple logos and ads in the building and on the clothing of the people you see. When you select your floor, you’ll see the logo of the elevator’s manufacturer on the panel.

But what about the company that actually constructed the building you’re in? After construction’s done, and the occupant moves in, the name of the builder is gone and probably forgotten.

That doesn’t have to happen.

Surveyors do much more than make precise measurements for boundary lines or construction projects – Surveyors are marketing an essential professional service.

Surveyors are critical to the accuracy of boundaries and infrastructure, yet their services are often undersold. It’s common that the only visible testament to a surveyor’s work are a few wooden stakes that are either removed or left in place to disappear over a few months.

Most end customers have only a peripheral knowledge of surveying in general, because surveying services are engaged through realtors or other contractors. It’s very important that your direct customer and the end-customer understand the value of surveying.

One of the little-known facts about the expansion of settlers into the interior territories of the United States was the essential role that surveying played in establishing settlements. As tracts of land were allotted to settlers, these tracts had to be measured, marked and recorded. This effort called for enterprising people who were educated, resourceful, and tough enough to live off the land.

Over the next 20 years, upgrades to the nation’s water system alone are expected to cost three to five trillion dollars. Yet appropriations to replace critical infrastructure continually fall short. Municipalities and utility companies are under enormous pressure to make existing assets more efficient.

Next, we deploy our drone outfitted with GNSS, a magnetic locator and RFID transceiver to hover over each monument coordinates to confirm the existing monuments and search for any missing monuments.